Heroku vs Railway (2026)
Head-to-head comparison for vibe coders: scores, free tiers, pricing and best-for, using the same evidence-based methodology. Rankings are never for sale.
The original git-push PaaS, now in sustaining-engineering mode
Deploy apps, databases and services
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Heroku | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 66/100 | 80/100 |
| Free tier | No: no free dynos; Eco is the cheapest plan at $5/mo | Partial: one-time $5 trial credit (30 days), then a Free plan with $1/mo credit |
| Open source | No | No |
| Pricing | Eco $5/mo (1,000 shared dyno hours, sleeps after 30 min idle, personal apps only); Basic $7/mo per dyno (always on); Standard-1X $25/mo; Postgres Essential-0 $5/mo (1 GB) | Hobby $5/mo (includes $5 usage) |
| Best for | Existing Heroku apps and teams that value a mature, stable platform over new features | Full-stack apps with a database and workers, deployed in minutes |
| Category | Hosting & deploy | Hosting & deploy |
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Heroku | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Fit for the use case /25 | 18 | 22 |
| Vibe-coder friendliness /15 | 11 | 14 |
| Output quality & reliability /15 | 12 | 12 |
| Pricing & free tier /15 | 8 | 10 |
| Ecosystem & integrations /10 | 9 | 8 |
| Momentum /10 | 2 | 8 |
| Code ownership & lock-in /10 | 6 | 6 |
Based on desk research of official pricing pages and docs; see methodology.
The short version
Railway is what many developers moved to after Heroku dropped free dynos: git-push or template deploys of apps, databases and workers on one canvas, billed by usage. Heroku is the mature original with a big add-on marketplace, now in sustaining engineering mode (stable and supported, few new features) since February 2026.
Prices compared
Railway Hobby is $5/mo and includes $5 of usage; new accounts get a one-time $5 trial credit for 30 days, then a Free plan with $1/mo of credit. Heroku has no free plan: Eco is $5/mo for 1,000 shared dyno hours with sleeping after 30 minutes idle, Basic is $7/mo per always-on dyno, and Postgres Essential-0 adds $5/mo.
Which to pick
Railway for a new app that needs a server plus a database: one $5 plan can cover a small app and its Postgres, and development is active. Heroku if you already run there or need a specific add-on.
Who wins: Heroku or Railway?
By score, Railway wins Heroku vs Railway at 80/100 vs 66/100. Railway: Very smooth deploys for any stack. The free allowance is tiny. Heroku: Still one of the simplest git-push platforms with a huge add-on ecosystem, but there is no free plan, Eco dynos sleep, and Salesforce has stopped adding features, so newer hosts give more for the same money. Momentum is scored low for that reason. Railway is best for Full-stack apps with a database and workers, deployed in minutes. Heroku is best for Existing Heroku apps and teams that value a mature, stable platform over new features.
FAQ
- Which is better, Heroku or Railway?
- By our score, Railway (80/100) ranks above Heroku (66/100). Railway is best for Full-stack apps with a database and workers, deployed in minutes. The right pick still depends on your workflow; see the side-by-side table.
- What is the Heroku vs Railway score?
- Heroku scores 66/100 and Railway scores 80/100 on PromptToProd's evidence-based ranking. Scores are never for sale.
- Is Railway a good Heroku alternative?
- For most small apps, yes. Railway runs the same kinds of workloads (web services, workers, Postgres, Redis) from GitHub, and its $5 Hobby plan includes $5 of usage instead of charging per dyno and per add-on.
- Does Heroku have a free tier in 2026?
- No. The cheapest plan is Eco at $5/mo, and Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes without traffic.
Sources (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Heroku pricing
- Heroku Dev Center: Eco dyno hours
- Heroku blog: An update on Heroku (Feb 2026)
- Railway pricing